Dry Cooler with Free Cooling

Dry Cooler with Free Cooling

When used in conjunction with a dry cooler, free cooling usually refers to a system in which the dry cooler is designed to achieve cooling by means of natural ambient conditions, thus reducing the use of mechanical refrigeration systems. Such a system utilises outside, cool air, usually at suitable temperatures, to cool a fluid (usually a cooling medium such as water or a heat exchange fluid) required in a building or industrial process.

The following is a general description of how a dry cooler works when combined with free cooling:

Dry Cooler Operation: A dry cooler is a device that cools by placing a heat exchange medium, such as water or another fluid, in contact with ambient air. It usually consists of a series of fans and cooling tubes through which the heat exchange medium is cooled by air blown through the fans.

Free Cooling Mode: When the temperature of the external environment is lower than the desired fluid temperature, the system can be switched to free cooling mode. In this mode, the cooling medium is no longer cooled by the mechanical refrigeration system, but directly exchanges heat with the outside air via a dry cooler. This can be achieved by controlling the fan operation or by adjusting the control parameters of the system.

Mechanical refrigeration system assistance: If the temperature of the external environment rises or the cooling demand cannot be met, the system can be switched back to mechanical refrigeration mode. In this case, the mechanical cooling system is activated to provide additional cooling capacity.

Systems combining free cooling and dry coolers are often used in environments where energy efficiency and energy savings are required, such as data centres, industrial production processes, etc. The advantage of this type of system is that under the right conditions, the running time of the mechanical refrigeration system can be significantly reduced, thereby reducing energy consumption and running costs.